Page 4393 - Week 14 - Wednesday, 8 December 1993
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PERSONAL EXPLANATIONS
MRS CARNELL (Leader of the Opposition): Madam Speaker, I seek leave to make a statement under standing order 47.
Leave granted.
MRS CARNELL: Thank you very much. Madam Speaker, in question time the Minister for Health made a number of comments about statements that I had made and my attitude with regard to the doctors dispute. I have never condoned the current dispute between ACT Health and the VMOs. In fact, I have stated on a number of occasions that I believe that both sides, and I stress both sides, are being bloody-minded. I have publicly stated that the ACT cannot afford to pay VMOs substantially more than their counterparts in New South Wales, and that statement has been made in a number of forums. During question time Mr Berry challenged me to urge the doctors to go back to work. Mr Berry, I am very happy to do that if you are willing to enter into face-to-face negotiations. If you are interested in entering into face-to-face negotiations with the doctors now, I will go out of this place and urge the doctors to go back to work.
Mr Connolly: Madam Speaker, I raise a point of order. Is this sort of material in a personal explanation within the standing orders?
MRS CARNELL: I have finished. It is all right.
MADAM SPEAKER: Mrs Carnell, standing order 46 requires that you make only personal explanations.
MR BERRY (Minister for Health, Minister for Industrial Relations and Minister for Sport): I seek leave to make a statement under standing order 47, I think it is.
Leave granted.
MR BERRY: Madam Speaker, Mrs Carnell, of course, misquotes the position. There has been six months of negotiation with the VMOs and we have gone back to the original position - that is, they demand exactly what they have, the blank cheque that Gary Humphries gave them. They want the blank cheque forever, for all of them.
Mr Humphries: I raise a point of order, Madam Speaker. Is Mr Berry making a statement under standing order 46 or standing order 47?
MADAM SPEAKER: It was standing order 47, Mr Humphries, and he is explaining that his speech has been misquoted or misunderstood, I believe.
Mr Humphries: Madam Speaker, standing order 47 refers to "A member who has spoken in a question".
MADAM SPEAKER: To a question.
Mr Humphries: To a question, I beg your pardon. There is no question before the Assembly at this stage. It is quite inappropriate for standing order 47 to be used in these circumstances. I ask you to rule the Minister out of order.
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